The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation has published a new infographic that shows the significance of MassHealth for the Commonwealth in an extremely accessible fashion. Here are some of its data:
Approximately 2 million Massachusetts residents are covered by MassHealth, more than a quarter of the population.
Most MassHealth beneficiaries are children, people with disabilities or seniors. Here’s a graphic from another BC/BS of Massachusetts Foundation publication that shows the identity of beneficiaries:
Half the costs are reimbursed by the federal government, contributing more than $12 billion a year to the state’s economy.
But this is likely to be reduced by the cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which are estimated to total $900 billion nationwide over the next decade. A large portion of those cuts are aimed at nondisabled adult beneficiaries — almost one million in Massachusetts — who will be subject to a new work requirement. Many are, in fact, already working. For instance, 86% of cashiers and retail workers, 59% of housekeepers and landscapers, and 56% of nursing assistants are covered by MassHealth. In the future they’ll have to verify their employment status.
MassHealth pays for many jobs in the health care sector, providing a large share of the funding for nursing homes, community health centers and births.
Going back to the other publication, while seniors and people with disabilities make up a relatively small portion of the MassHealth-covered population — 10% and 13%, respectively — they account for most MassHealth spending — 24% and 31%, respectively.
Together these charts show the significance of MassHealth to health care in the Commonwealth.